Hull City are in turmoil and are being rumoured to sack Rubén Sellés, only days after the former Reading man kept the Tigers up, albeit on goal difference, allegedly for Tony Mowbray. Why though?
Hull City’s previous issue of sacking too early
In May 2024, The Tigers controversially parted company with Liam Rosenior after only 18 months at the helm of Hull because he failed to guide their star-studded side which contained the likes of Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap and Ozan Tufan to the top 6 despite it being their first top half championship finish since 2016. This turned out to be a huge mistake with Hull nearly slipping out the other end of the league this season after a really poor campaign finishing 21st level on points with relegated Luton Town. The message when sacking Rosenior for Tim Walters was that he will bring glory back to the Yorkshire outfit although I don’t think that message stuck as Walters was sacked on the 27th of November 2024 with the Tigers sat 22nd in the league and utterly hopeless, what followed was the appointment of highly ambitious Spanish manager Rubén Sellés robbing him from League One play-off chasers Reading.
A Summer of Change for the Tigers?
Hull City are ready to heavily re-shuffle their backroom staff after the arrivals of a new head of recruitment (Martin Hodge) which could result in Sellés facing the sack as he was handed the job and squad reinforcements to aid him in Hull’s quest to stay in the Championship and despite multiple setbacks including talented Englishman Louie Barry getting ruled out for the rest of the season after only 4 appearances, and recording 12 defeats in 28 games which certainly isn’t ideal.
Ambitions Over Realism?
Hull City have struggled with this for a while now, and personally this is the damning feature of them this campaign with the owner setting Premier League aspirations and demanding results immediately then pulling the trigger when it hasn’t gone as planned which is the perfect case for their demise this season. The constant chopping and changing doesn’t let a manager imprint their identity on a team and certainly doesn’t guarantee results. This has left Hull fans longing for stability and an actual vision instead of the same old cycle. It just doesn’t work.
Writers Opinion on Whether Hull Should Sack Sellés or Stick With Him
Personally, I think that Hull should stick with the Spaniard despite the unattractive run-in mainly because of the calamity of last season and how it panned out, Reuben Sellés is a project manager who I think given long enough can develop and grow Hull into a really competitive team in this division. With Reading there was a whole host of issues behind the scenes and Sellés managed to steady the sinking ship and had them competing for the playoffs in his second spell in the third tier, which under those conditions is a really commendable job especially as he managed to do this under a transfer embargo.
Potential Replacements
If the ex-Reading manager does face the axe these are my top 3 candidates to replace him:
Tony Mowbray- Formerly West Brom
T.M has been in football for what feels like forever and has a knowledge for the game that very few have, despite saying this It really didn’t work out in his latest tenure in football with him facing the sack after guiding the Baggies from 5th to 9th with the final straw being a frustrating 3-1 loss to Derby County at The Hawthorns. Tony Mowbray is currently the most likely to become The Yorkshire outfits head coach and his good relationship with City’s sporting director could help his cause. His Experience and know-how are certainly too good to pass up on.
Richie Wellens- Leyton Orient
Wellens has been an outstanding manager for Leyton Orient since taking over in 2022 and has been described as a vibrant, young coach by many and he has managed to guide the O’s to a play-off spot in League One with them tied to play Stockport County in the semi-finals, his impressive campaign has to be complemented by a dream of an FA cup run beating Boreham Wood, Oldham Athletic, Derby County and almost causing an upset against ex-Premier League champions Manchester City. Undoubtedly Wellens will be moving on to bigger and better things but can City steal him before he goes somewhere else?
Johannes Hoff Thorup- Former Norwich Manager
Despite disappointing with Norwich, JHT is still a very attractive manager to most clubs in the division, his tactics are incredible but consistency has been the main reason why he hasn’t succeeded in his role at Norwich City, give him the time and the funds and the backing then I believe that he could create a highly promising future for the Tigers. His tactical nouse and development of certain players would really entice Hull and potentially fuel their ambitions with creating stability for the club and developing the young talents Hull City have access to.
Who do you think Hull could target? and is it time for the owner to go? let us know in the comments!
